2.2. EVMS Ncurses interface

The EVMS Ncurses (evmsn) user interface is a menu-driven
interface with characteristics similar to those of the EVMS GUI.
Like the EVMS GUI,
evmsn can accommodate new plug-ins and features without requiring any code
changes.

The EVMS Ncurses user interface
allows you to manage volumes on systems that do not have the X
and GTK+ libraries that are required by the EVMS GUI.

2.2.1. Navigating through EVMS Ncurses

The EVMS Ncurses user interface initially
displays a list of logical volumes similar to the
logical volumes view in the EVMS GUI. Ncurses also provides
a menu bar similar to the menu bar in the EVMS GUI.

A general guide to navigating through the layout of the
Ncurses window is listed below:

Tab cycles you through the available
views.

Status messages and tips are displayed on
the last line of the screen.

Typing the accelerator character (the
letter highlighted in red) for any menu item activates
that item. For example, typing A in any view brings
down the Actions menu.

Typing A + Q in a view
quits the application.

Typing A + S in a view
saves changes
made during an evmsn session.

Use the up and down
arrows to highlight an object in a view. Pressing
Enter while an object in a view is
highlighted presents a context popup menu.

Dismiss a context popup menu by pressing
Esc or by selecting a menu item with the
up and down arrows and pressing
Enter to
activate the menu item.

Dialog windows are similar in design to the EVMS GUI
dialogs, which allow a user to navigate forward and backward through a series
of dialogs using Next and Previous. A general
guide to dialog windows is listed below:

Tab cycles you through the available buttons. Note
that some buttons might not be available until a valid selection is made.

The left and right arrows can also be used
to move to an available button.

Navigate a selection list with the up and
down arrows.

Toggle the selection of an item in a list with spacebar.

Activate a button that has the current focus with Enter. If the button has
an accelerator character (highlighted in red), you can also activate the button
by typing the accelerator character regardless of whether the button has the current
focus.

The EVMS Ncurses user interface, like the EVMS GUI, provides context menus
for actions that are available only to the selected object in a view. Ncurses also provides
context menus for items that are
available from the Actions menu. These context menus present
a list of commands available for a certain object.

2.2.2. Saving changes

All changes you make while in the EVMS
Ncurses are only in memory until you save the changes.
In order to make the changes permanent, save
all changes before exiting. If you
forget to save the changes and decide to exit the EVMS Ncurses
interface, you will be reminded of the unsaved changes and
be given the chance to save or discard the changes before exiting.

To explicitly save all changes, press A + S and confirm
that you want to save changes.